Plain bearing



Sep 17, 1935. w. PEINEKE El AL 2,014,584

PLAIN BEARING 7 Filed Sept. 21, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 17, 1935. w. PEINEKE ET AL 2,014,584

I PLAIN BEARING 4 Filed Sept 21, 19:51 1 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PLAIN BEARING Wilhelm Pelneke and Karl Reschke, Berlin, and Hans Dietzius, Gatow A/H, Germany, assignors to Siemens- Schuckertwerke Aktiengesellschaft,

Bcrlin-Siemensstadt, of Germany Germany, a corporation Application September 21, 1931, Serial No. 564,062

In Germany 3 Claims.

Machines which are to run noiselessly must be provided with plain bearings as a singing noise is practically always unavoidable with anti-friction bearings. Plain bearings have, however,

generally a greater axial length than the usual ball bearings calculated for the same bearing pressure. It is consequently not possible just to substitute plain bearings for ball bearings. It has, it is true, been proposed to construct a hearing housing in which ball bearings or plain bearings can be inserted as desired. This bearing housing is, however, so long that the plain bearing with its greater length can be fitted therein. According to the invention, an interchangeability of plain and ball bearings is to be attained while retaining the bearing housing dimensioned for. normal ball bearings.

According to the invention the bearing housing mounted in the bearing bracket is provided inside with a running sleeve, which cooperates with a bush put onto the shaft, the sleeve being provided with a tangential recess for the lubricating wick. This running sleeve is of material of great hardness so that no appreciable change in the bearing dimensions occurs during the life of the machine.

By means of the plain bearing constructed according to the present invention, it is possible to fit up ordinary motors having ordinary bearing brackets with ball or plain bearings just as desired, without the slightest alteration being necessary. The interchange is extremely simple and can take place without it being necessary to remove the bearing bracket. An examination of the bearing part and any change of the bearing bush is also considerably simplified as, for this purpose, the whole bearing can be removed. A special advantage is that the axial bearing play can be regulated by the insertion of washers between the flange of the bearing housing and the bearing bracket. A further advantage of the bearing described consists in the fact that when the bearing is assembled, the wick is introduced into a tangential recess so that the shaft can be inserted without holding the lubricating wick separately to keep it from being pinched by the shaft.

Moreover, if a lubricating wick of high saturating capacity is used (mainly consisting of loose strands of wool or cotton), the wick may readily be pulled apart by the revolving shaft and be pulled between the shaft and the hearing sleeve. This is detrimental to the lubrication and is liable to increase friction. If, to prevent such things happening, a wick of different ma- March 1, 1930 terial were used which is not subject to the abovementioned action, the saturation by the oil would not be so great and breakdowns due to insufiicient lubricating would be the result. To prevent this according to the invention, the wick is 5 composed of two parts of different material, one part of compact material in the groove of the running sleeve and laying itself against the revolving shaft, the second part of less compact material, but of high saturation capacity, espew cially of threads of cotton or wool, which lays itself round 'the first wick and dips into the oil sump of the bearing. By the high saturation capacity of the second part a copious supply of oil is furnished to the first compact part of the wick which cannot be pulled apart by the shaft so easily. This guarantees reliable lubrication.

The invention is illustrated in several modifications in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section through a convertible bearing according to the invention,

Fig. 2 represents a transverse section through Figs. 3 and 4 represents a longitudinal and a 25 transverse sectionrespectively through a modification of Fig. l, and

Figsi5 and 6 represent a longitudinal and a transverse section respectively through a further modification of Fig. l.

A bearing involving the double wick form is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On a shaft 2 there is fixed a running ring 2l2 of hard material such as steel, cast-iron, hard bronze, or the like. This ring rests in a bearing sleeve '2l3 of hard bronze or similar material. The sleeve is surrounded. by and fixed to a bearing shell 2 which is inserted in opening 215 of a housing 2l5, e. g. of the bearing bracket of an electric motor. Laterally the bearing is closed by the two caps 2|! whose fianged rims are bolted (not shown) to housing 215. The ring 212 on the shaft is laid against one shoulder of the shaft 2| I and is held from axial movement by a pressure ring 2l8 in the left cap 2".

Bearing shell 2 is provided with a circumferential slot 222, which at the lower bearing portion is deepened into a straight slot 22l running tangentially and passing through sleeve 2|3 to 50 form an oblong opening in the latter (see Fig. 2).

' The wick 220 of some compact material (e. g. lamp wick) located in slot 22l touches the running ring 212 of the shaft. This wick is held in position by a length of cord 223 which is accom- 55 modated in slot 222 of shell 2| 4 and is attached to the two ends of wick 220. Another wick 224 of loose threads of wool or cotton is placed against wick 220. Wick 224 is pressed against running ring 2! 2 together with wick 220 by means of plate spring 225 pressing against the inner wall of housing 2H5. Wick 224 is held in place by a strip of sheet metal 226 which is locked in position by a screw 221.

The lower part of the housing 2l6 containing plate spring 225 also serves as an oil container so that the lubricating point of the shaft running I ring H2 is in close proximity of the oil sump and therefore can still provide correct and reliable lubrication when the upper parts of wicks 220 and 224 are not sufliciently saturated with oil. In view of the high saturating capacity of wick 224, the whole oil is conducted to the lower part of lamp wick 220. Its own low saturating capacity cannot be detrimental to the oil passage because all it has to do is to carry the oil from the lower part of thread wick 224 to the point of contact with ring 2l2.

In order to simplify the construction of the bearing, the running ring M2 on the shaft canbe dispensed with. In that case the shaft should be hardened at the running surface which could, for instance, be effected by heating the bearing neck of the shaft at thepoint to be treated by means of a blowpipe and then cooling it. This method of hardening has become very popular lately for hardening crank shafts of internal combustion engines etc. and has the advantage that the only part of the shaft to be hardened is really the part subject to the pressure. If the running ring on the shaft is dispensed with, the diameter of the bearing can be very much reduced, which to some extent also reduces its cost.

Such a bearing is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The

hardened bearing neck 3l2 of shaft 3 rests in I a bearing sleeve N3 of appropriate metal, e. g...

hard bronze. Sleeve 313 is surrounded by and fixed to a bearing shell 3 inserted in bore 3l5 ofa housing 3l6 (of an electric mot0r, for instance). Laterally the bearing is closed by the two vcaps 3ll whose rims, made as-flang'es, are assumed to be bolted to carrier 3|. Ring 3 is provided with a circumferential groove 322 for accommodating wick 324. At one point groove 322 is deepened into a tangential groove. '3l9 passing through sleeve 3| 3 and through which wick 324 can be applied to running surface 3l2 of shaft 3. Wick 324 is pushed into groove 3" by a plate spring 325 andis thus permanently pressed against the shaft and is given greater density, which prevents its being pulled apart as mentioned hereinbefore. Wick 324"is held in position by a strip of sheet metal 32!. This strip is locked by screw 321'. The wick used is athread wick, but of course it is also possible to use, two different wicks as shown in Figs; 1 and 2.

In order to simplify interchanging ball, and

plain bearings, it is advisable to construct the part of the plain bearing containing the bearing sleeve and, the wick in such a manner that it can be pushed onto the shaft in place of the rings Of a ball bearing and can fill the housing to the same extent as the ball bearing. This can be done with the aid 'of the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Here shaft 3| l whose'rimning surface 3|2 is assumed to be hardened as described with reference to Fig. 3 is located in a bearing ring of a laterally open U-shaped cross-section, which contains in its interior wick 33l.

At the inner periphery of ring 322 is provided a tangential bore 334 accommodating a wick 335 of compact material. The wick can lay itself against the shaft through the opening 334. Ring 332 fills the bore 3l5 of bracket H6 and is held 5 circumferentially in position by screw 32! which simultaneously serves as a filling screw for introducing new oil, i. e., this screw closes the filling opening 330 of ring 322. Again the bearing is closed laterally by the two lids 3l'l. The ring 10 322 is made ofsome suitable bearing metal because its inner periphery serves directly as a running surface. It can be made in one part by some suitable method. At its open side it is closed by a sheet metal plate 323. Thus it can 5 easily be pushed into the bearing housing in place of a ball bearing.

Ring 322 accommodating the wick can also be made of sheet iron or other suitable sheet material in which case a special running sleeve of 2 metal suitable for bearings must be provided the same as shown at 3|3 in Fig. 3. This type of ring is to be considered the best for large bearings.

We claim 1. In a bearing, convertible from a ball bearing into a plain bearing, in combination, a shaft, a bearing housing having a bore adapted to receive a plain bearing or a similar size ball bearing, a plain bearing box removably disposed in said bore and having the width and diameter of the outer race of a ball bearing, a bushing of bearing metal within said bearing box, said bearing box having an annular groove, said bearing box and bushing having a common tangential w groove extending to the surface of the shaft, as- '3 closely ,woven wick housed in the tangential groove of said bushing and being in contact with said shaft, and a highly absorbent wick of loose fibres surrounding said closely woven wick and being located in the groove portion of said bearing box.

' 2. In a bearing, convertible from a ball bearing into a plain bearing, in combination, a shaft,

a bearing housing adapted to receive a plain bearing or a similar size ball bearing, a U-shaped 5 ring open at one end and, having the width and diameter of the outer race of the ball bearing, a

tangential recess' in said ring extending to the shaft, a closely woven wick disposed in said tangential recess and having an intermediate portion in tangential contact with the shaft, '9. wick of loose fibres surrounding said closely woven wick and being housed in said U-shapedring, an annular disc closing the open end of the U-shaped ring to retain the wick, and cover plates attached to said housing for closing the bearing on both sides. 3. In a bearing, convertible from a ball bearing into a plain'bearing, in-combination a shaft, a bearing housing having a bore adapted to receive a plain bearing or a similar sizeball bearing, a plain bearing box removably disposed in said bore and having the width and diameter of the outer race of said ball bearing, said bearing box having a suitable annular recess, and a tan- 65 gential recess in said annular recess, extending to the shaft, a closely woven'wick in said tangential recess and a highly absorbent wick surround-' ing said closely woven wick and being located in said annular recess for supplyinglubricant through the closely woven 'wick to said shaft. WILHELM PEINEKE.

KARL 'RESCHKE. HANS DIETZIUS. 

